


this world we share

by khrysallis



Category: EXO (Band)
Genre: Alternate Universe - MAMA (Music Video), Alternate Universe - Mutants, M/M, Minor Character Death, X-Men References
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-10-13
Updated: 2017-10-13
Packaged: 2019-01-16 18:08:24
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 1
Words: 17,582
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/12347862
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/khrysallis/pseuds/khrysallis
Summary: (x-men/mama!au) kris's life has always been a guilt-ridden one, until another mutant walks in and changes his entire perspective.





	this world we share

**Author's Note:**

> Not entirely accurate portrayal of the x-men universe, hah. Old stuff I wrote back in 2014 for an [epm prompt](http://exopromptmeme.livejournal.com/10430.html?thread=5212862#t5212862). Just transferring some of my old stuff from dreamwidth.

 

 

 

 

 

“Target sighted.”  
  
The voice crackled in his earpiece, shattering the brief moment of peace Kris was having. He was leaning against the wall of the stairwell which led to the rooftop, arms crossed in front of his chest and a foot braced against the wall, laying in wait for the main character of the day. At the confirmation of the target, though, Kris slowly opened his eyes, blinking a little to take in the afternoon sun. It was a sweltering day, but Kris paid no heed to the sweat trickling down his back, or the heat trapped between his damp skin and his clothes.  
  
“Coordinates?” He spoke calmly into the receiver, still maintaining his previous relaxed stance. Once upon a time, Kris would have felt the cold sweat on his palms and the frantic beating of his heart during missions such as this, but five years down the line, he had grown used to it, and had developed an eerie sense of calmness along the way.  
  
After all, it was easier for him to get the job done, once he forgets that he was essentially hunting down one of his own.  
  
“N39. This mutant is known by the name of Xiumin, and his power is–”  
  
“–Ice.” Kris finished off for the staff handling the intelligence aspect for this mission. “I know.”  
  
He almost always did, as with other mutants who possessed the X-gene. There weren’t many of them to begin with. Somehow, their minds were interconnected, and if one had forgotten to shut off all forms of access into their inner state of mind, they could be read like an open book.  
  
Xiumin wasn’t one of those who had forgotten, though. No, he was far too smart to allow for such blunders; he was merely unfortunate to have Kris on this mission to capture him.  
  
Even the smart ones would eventually be outsmarted, Kris thought dryly as he pushed himself away from the wall, clenching and unclenching his fists as he walked towards the ledge. Xiumin – no,  _Minseok_  – was a good friend of his, many years ago. Kris could only hope there would be no hard feelings between him and Minseok when this was done.  
  
Another dry laugh. Nothing but wishful thinking.  
  
“Is everyone else in position?” Kris asked again as the raw energy began coursing through his veins, familiar and welcomed. He then stepped onto the ledge, arms outstretched on either side of him, his head thrown backwards to soak in the full glory of the scorching afternoon sun.  
  
“Yes, sir. The target doesn’t seem as though he’s noticed us,” he was informed, and Kris grunted in approval. They were bound to face some resistance from Minseok, but it would save them a lot of trouble if their target did not make a run for it before they swooped in to corner him. “Your orders, sir?”  
  
When Kris opened his eyes next, his irises were amber with flecks of gold, resonating with the power waiting to be unleashed from within. “The ruling still stands.” He said, voice firm and unyielding. “Not a single scratch on Xiumin, or your heads will be the ones rolling on the ground.”  
  
There was a pause, long enough for Kris to know that his subordinate was complaining away in his mind about sparing mutants, but Kris had honestly had enough of this shit. He was here for a reason, and that reason was to protect his own brethren, ironic as his actions may seem now.  
  
It wasn’t until half a minute later that his subordinate replied him with a curt ‘yes, sir’, the reluctance in his voice poorly concealed.  
  
Kris used the latent anger within him to give his powers one last boost, and within seconds, a massive dragon had taken Kris’s place, his majestic wings folded behind him as he watched the mission progressing below. His men knew the drill – not a sound, not a movement out of place while they approached the target.  
  
When his men got close enough to ensure every escape route had been cut off, Kris took it as his cue to swoop down to ground level, and by the time Minseok had noticed his massive form in the skies, he was already trapped in a web of energy emitted from the weapons of Kris’s squad members, strong enough to hold him down yet not nearly enough to injure.  
  
It was a creation which Kris had requested for all those years ago, when he had first taken the ranks of the commander of the elite squad, only agreeing to step up to the position if the government agreed not to bring harm to the mutants when they brought them into custody. Kris was glad they had considered his request at all, knowing that some of the higher-ranked officials in the government were more than eager to kill off every single mutant in sight – Kris included.  
  
Needless to say, Kris’s existence in one of the top secret organisations of the government was a thorn in their sides, but being the cowards they were, none of them had the courage to even sit close to Kris, let alone order for his arrest. Along with his imposing height and serious face, Kris was also one of the strongest mutants around. It was only by underhanded threats from the government that Kris found himself working for them at all.  
  
Kris didn’t enjoy doing this, yet they left him with no choice.  
  
When Kris had finally landed on the ground and transformed back into his human self, he was met with Minseok’s incredulous expressions, eyes wide and jaw slack. He sighed inwardly, preparing himself for the insults which were about to be hurled in his direction as he greeted his old friend. “Hello, Xiumin. It has been a long while, hasn’t it?”  
  
“Kris?” Minseok asked, a little dumbfounded. “What is the meaning of this?”  
  
Kris shrugged, feigning nonchalance. The hardest part of his job was yet to come. “You know about the war, don’t you?”  
  
At this, Minseok narrowed his eyes and attempted to walk forward to confront Kris, only to find that he couldn’t even move a single inch, owing to the web of energy surrounding him. It didn’t stop him from struggling against those binds, however, and with each strong movement, the members of Kris’s squad staggered and swayed in their positions.  
  
“I’ve heard of the rumours, that you betrayed us and began working for the government.” Minseok hissed through clenched teeth, absolutely livid by now. Kris jammed his hands down his pockets as he listened to Minseok, still standing calmly before him, though he kept his powers running through his veins, fully prepared to unleash them if his non-mutant subordinates faltered. It had happened once, with Kyungsoo, and Kris would rather not have a repeat of that. It had been a messy operation, its clean-up even messier. “I didn’t want to believe in those rumours, and convinced myself that you were merely hiding just like the rest of us.”  
  
Kris laughed and swept a hand down his body, as though presenting himself to Minseok. “Well, your answer’s standing right here.”  
  
“ _Fuck you_.” Minseok practically seethed, his palms glowing now, a sure sign that he was about to unleash his own powers. Kris felt sorry for him. It was going to be futile. “Have you forgotten that you are one of us? Why the fuck are you standing there when you should be on our side?”  
  
_There are so many things that you do not know of, Minseok,_  Kris thought sadly to himself, but on the surface, his expressions were still smug. “Why should it matter? If you’re curious, though, I’m being paid handsomely to do this job. Why live in hiding when I can drown myself in luxury, right?”  
  
That effectively set Minseok off. “Fucking dog of the government!” Minseok spat, still struggling uselessly against the binds holding him down. “You’ll regret this!”  
  
Kris strode purposefully towards Minseok, stopping right before the other man and lowering himself slightly so that he could hold Minseok’s gaze. He held on to the ridiculous hope that Minseok could somehow see the desperation reflected in his eyes, but he knew it was nothing but a naïve thought of his when Minseok managed to shoot a tiny shard of ice at him, catching Kris cleanly across his right cheek and leaving a scarlet trail of blood down his face.  
  
The look of satisfaction on Minseok’s face when Kris pulled away did nothing to pacify the guilt Kris felt within.  
  
“Feisty, aren’t you?” Kris sniffed as he wiped away the blood, feeling the break in his skin pulling to a close as it healed up. “Surrender quietly, and you won’t be harmed, Xiumin. Don’t force me to make a move.”  
  
Minseok snarled in response, taunting Kris further with more shards of ice. It was fortunate that Kris hadn’t underestimated Minseok at all. But with Minseok’s attenuated powers, the older man couldn’t deal serious harm to Kris, and Minseok knew of that fact perfectly.  
  
“Why don’t you ask your fellow dogs to shut this web off and have a fight with me, fair and square, just like the old days, huh?” Minseok snarled.  
  
“I wouldn’t object to that–” Kris started, and he could see the way his subordinates’ eyes widened in horror. If Minseok and Kris did indeed fight it out, half of the town would be razed to the ground in the matter of minutes. They have seen Kris unleash his full powers before, in the earlier years of the war, when Kris had to fight tooth and nail to subdue the stronger mutants. Kris didn’t think they’d want to watch a repeat of that.   
  
“–But I’m afraid I can only take you up on your offer some other time.” He smiled with mock viciousness when the containment truck finally rolled into sight, and patted Minseok condescendingly on the cheek before turning around to address his subordinates. “Take him away.”  
  
Even as Kris transformed back into his dragon form, he could hear Minseok’s incessant insults being hurled at him, up until the moment the truck doors were sealed. Kris squeezed his eyes shut and swallowed back the guilt once again.  
  
This part of his missions was always the hardest, seeing one of your own being locked up while he was still free to roam around.  
  
_I’m sorry._

 

 

 

\--

 

 

 

Kris padded all the way to the sofa upon stepping out of the shower with only his towel wrapped around his waist, not even bothered to pull on his clothes. Morphing into his dragon form had taken a large toll on his energy reserves, and he was honestly much too tired to move another muscle. It was by a miracle that he could even walk around right now.

He dropped himself onto the leather surface with a muted groan, letting his body melt into the most comfortable position to avoid hurting himself. Kris turned a little to look to his left, where a photo frame was perched on the side table. In the photo were three smiling faces, belonging to both his parents and the ten-year-old him. It had been one of the happier times of his life, before he had discovered the fact that he bore the mutated X-gene.

Kris swallowed the invisible lump in his throat at the memory and continued to stare at the ceiling instead.

“Computer, show recent missed calls and text messages,” he said to no one in particular, and a holographic screen appeared before him, its operating system retrieving the information he had requested for. Ten missed calls and at least two dozen messages in the past two days – all from his mother.

Kris groaned at the sight, wondering when his mother would stop. He hasn’t been replying to any of her messages in the past five years, so he didn’t understand why she still bothered.

“You know–” A new, mischievous voice suddenly spoke up in his living space, causing Kris to jump in his seat. “–there’s a Chinese saying that says you’d get struck by lightning if you’re not filial to your parents, and I’m pretty sure you’re headed  _right_  in that direction.”

Kris sprung up just in time to see someone grinning at him from the screen, and he quickly scrambled for the throw cushions to protect what was left of his modesty. “Luhan, what the  _fuck_?” He snarled angrily at the other man, who shrugged unrepentantly at Kris. “Don’t you have the basic fucking courtesy to inform that you were going to commence a video conversation first?”

Luhan stuck his tongue out at Kris and leaned back into his seat. “You were the one who shut off your mind channel. I  _was_  going to let you know.” He quipped. “Besides, I don’t know what you’re being so embarrassed about. It’s not like I haven’t seen you completely naked before.”

Kris groaned at the reminder. If Luhan wasn’t an asset to the National Defence Bureau, Kris would have strangled his ex to death by now.

“So–” Kris quickly changed the subject. “–are you only here to guilt-trip me, or do you actually have something important to say?”

“Well, to be fair, it’s been five years since that incident. If you wanted her to know how you were doing, you would have done that by now.” Luhan pointed out with a knowing smile, before his expressions mellowed down. “Honestly, though, I’m just here to check on you.”

Kris quirked an eyebrow at Luhan. “I’m fine, Luhan. There’s no need to concern yourself over me.”

“ _Are_  you?” Luhan challenged mildly. “I know you well enough, Yifan. It’s always like this after your missions – you’d block everyone out of your mind and sulk somewhere for the rest of the day in your dragon form until you run out of energy.”

“What of it?” Kris snapped, feeling the steady rise of irritation within him. He appreciated Luhan’s concern. He really did. But sometimes, he would rather be left alone with his thoughts; Kris could deal with them on his own. He always had. It was only a matter of time before the depression went away.

Luhan heaved a sigh and pinched the bridge of his nose, probably knowing that he was no match for Kris’s stubbornness. “You’re always like this – always shouldering the burden by yourself and not wanting anyone else to worry.”

Kris flashed a weak smile at Luhan. It was one of the reasons which had led to their eventual breakup. Luhan couldn’t stand the way Kris dealt with his issues, and they had gotten into a fair share of arguments because of that. Now that they have returned to being friends, though, Luhan seemed to have become more accommodating to that side of Kris.

“You know how I am,” he said in the end, and Luhan laughed in acknowledgment. Kris hadn’t realised how much he missed hearing that sound in his ears, tinkling and soothing in the early mornings.

“Unfortunately. Suit yourself, then.”

“Thanks,” Kris said sincerely, earning a reassuring smile from Luhan in return. He really was glad he had someone in the NDB to share the burden of going against their kind with. It wasn’t so maddening, not yet. “How’s Minseok?”

At the question, Luhan threw a look over his shoulder, glancing in the general direction of the lab where the cylinders – glass prisons meant for mutants – stood before turning back to regard Kris. Kris did not fail to notice the way Luhan’s throat worked in a nervous habit, and he felt incredibly sorry that Luhan had to be stuck in the lab even at this hour. Luhan had never agreed with this war, but like Kris, circumstances had forced him to take the government’s side against their own brethren.

Kris couldn’t help but wonder what sort of thoughts were intruding Luhan’s mind. It wasn’t easy, being the one who could hear everyone else’s inner state of mind, and Kris felt that Luhan was an incredibly strong person to have held on until now. He knew that if he were in Luhan’s position, he would have ended up in a mental asylum by now.

It was one of the many qualities Kris admired about Luhan.

“Minseok, he–” Luhan gulped again, probably trying to filter out the nastier side of things. “–he’s being attended to by Yixing.”

Kris paled at the information. They all knew Minseok and Yixing had a shared past before the NDB forged Yixing’s disappearance and brought him under its wing. Yixing had never really gotten over his relationship with Minseok, and for him to be a part of the team who was going to turn Minseok into a lab rat–

Kris immediately stopped that thought when he could feel the bile threatening to rise in his throat, clenching his fists to keep his stomach contents down. He really wished that they hadn’t gotten involved with the war at all, now that it was getting more sickening by the day.

“Please, I’m counting on you to watch over Yixing.” Kris whispered quietly.

“I will, don’t worry.” Luhan smiled. It was tight.

Just as Luhan was about to reach for the button to end their conversation, though, Kris called out for him again. “Luhan, one more thing–” He said, watching as Luhan cocked his head to the side curiously. “Promise me you’ll take good care of yourself, too.”

This time, Luhan’s smile was more sincere as he nodded back. “Consider that done,” he chirped, then the screen went black.

Kris pinched the bridge of his nose and slumped into his seat, feeling a lot more exhausted than he had been before the short exchange with Luhan. Sometimes, he wondered if his decision to get himself involved in the war was a right one, especially with all the killing and subduing he has had to do. And to see the very few people whom he could still call his friends suffer indirectly in the process…

Kris habitually locked those thoughts away. His guilt was swaying his resolution, and in the dying days of the human-mutant war, it wasn’t a good indication at all.

 

 

 

\--

 

 

 

The NDB’s headquarters, situated near Namsan, was the centre which coordinated the operations behind the human-mutant war in Korea. Each country had a different organisation spearheading the war, and while Kris was curious how each of these centres looked like, he would rather not know about them, for fear of discovering something which would make his stomach churn even more.

As Kris walked across the suspended bridge leading to the Director’s office, his shoes clacking loudly against the metal walkway with each step taken, he was reminded of the reason why he disliked this place. From the height he was at, he was given a bird’s eye view of the sprawling laboratory below, with rows upon rows of liquid-filled glass containers lined neatly in the middle. People in white coats – scientists and doctors alike – milled about, checking their data and making sure that the vital signs of the imprisoned mutants were stable.

It was extremely distasteful, especially when Kris knew he should be locked down there with the rest of them. He never really lingered around in the lab, but he knew that there was a place for him for when the war was over, for when the government no longer had use for him.

A piercing shriek came from below just then, and Kris forced his stomach contents back down when he recognised it to be Soojung’s.

While the government had given their promise not to harm the mutants when bringing them into captivity, they had refused to do the same when the mutants were already locked away in their glass cells.  _We are running a research to rid mutants of the X-gene and convert them back into normal humans, as they should have been born as,_  Kris had been told when he protested against their actions.

He really didn’t want to find out how they were conducting their experiments, if it should invite such response from a strong girl like Soojung.

“Commander Wu?” Kris glanced up just then, realising that the guard who had been tasked to escort him that afternoon was looking at him expectantly from a distance. Kris wanted to laugh at the irony that even a high-ranking official in the NDB like him wasn’t allowed to roam its grounds on his own. “The Director is expecting you.”

Kris flashed a tight-lipped, apologetic smile at the guard before hurrying after him.

Director Kim’s office was exactly the same as the last time Kris had been here over a year ago, apart from the piling mountain of documents on his desk waiting to be reviewed. The man himself had a cigar between his lips when Kris had entered, the pungent smell of smoke making Kris’s head spin, but Kris forced himself to smile through the dizziness.

“Good afternoon, Director Kim.” Kris greeted, standing before the Director’s desk. Kim Youngmin grinned around his cigar in response, his nicotine-stained teeth feral under the dim lights. As usual, he made Kris feel extremely unsettled.

“Ah, Kris! Please, sit!” He gestured at the empty chair before him and dismissed the guard. Kris did as he was told.

When they were finally left alone, Kim Youngmin leaned forward with an eyebrow raised. “Kris, my boy!” He boomed, and Kris subconsciously leaned backwards ever so slightly when he caught sight of the flecks of ashes falling onto the Director’s desk. “I haven’t seen you around in ages! Where have you been?”  
_  
Keeping myself away from the headquarters,_  Kris thought to himself, but outwardly, he forced another smile and said, “I have been busy, Director. There have been a lot of false reports on rogue mutants that I have had to investigate.”

“Ah,” Kim Youngmin mused. “Indeed there was. I’d like to congratulate you on a job well done on capturing Xiumin, though. He is such a valuable addition to our research team.”

Kris’s stomach rolled at the statement.  _We’re not lab rats for your experimentation,_  he wanted to say, but he bit on his tongue and kept the comment down. Going against the Director now would land Kris in those glass cylinders beneath, and that was a risk he could not afford to take right now, when he still had to locate the rest of his kind and ensure that no serious harm would befall them.

Deciding that staying in the headquarters was only getting him sicker by the second, Kris decided to cut the meeting short. “Was there something you needed me here for, Director?”

It was only for a split second, but Kris did not fail to notice the way Kim Youngmin’s smile became frozen around its edges, the muscles in his face tensing at the implication behind Kris’s words. Slowly, he said, “Why…  _yes._  Yes, indeed.” The way his smile stretched even wider across his face raised the panic alarm in Kris’s mind, but he tried his level best to prevent his emotions from showing.

And, as reluctant as he was, Kris found himself asking the very question he was sure Kim Youngmin was waiting for. “It’s rare for you to request for my presence, Director. I’m assuming this is a top secret mission?”

Kim Youngmin let out a bark of delight, and leaned back into his seat. “I’ve always known that you’re a smart one, Kris Wu.” On the surface, it was a straightforward praise, but Kris could see the many layers beneath those words, and Kim Youngmin’s silent warning for him to remember his place and the hold the government and the NDB had on him. Kris balled his hands up into fists beneath the table.

Trapped.

“I have known you for years, Director.” Kris said evenly after a brief pause. Kim Youngmin was stalling for time, he noticed. He was enjoying the way he was making Kris anxious. “Normal missions would be relayed to me through Luhan.”

_What sort of mission is this that you have to inform me personally?_  The silent question was left hanging in the air between them.

This time, Kim Youngmin stubbed out his cigar and leaned across the table again, a sure sign that he was about to launch into a serious discussion. “I know you have joined the NDB under the condition that no harm shall befall your kind.”

Kris narrowed his eyes. “...yes, and?” He didn’t like where this was going.

“I’m also sure you know of the group of highly lethal mutants which we have been keeping a close eye on.” Kim Youngmin continued, the same sinister smile still plastered on his face.

“Yes, but they have been lying low all this while–”

“I have received very reliable information that they are planning to wage war against the government. A last stand, if you will.” The Director raised his voice and drowned out what Kris had to say. Kris found that his mouth was suddenly very dry. “You know what this means, don’t you, Kris?”

“I’m… not too sure I follow.” Kris said, and he wasn’t lying. He wasn’t the one helming the watchbird operations of said group of mutants – alongside Luhan and Yixing, Kris was barred from taking part in fear of alarming the group – but according to an insider, they weren’t planning on doing anything as drastic as what the Director was telling him. Did they fail in their surveillance somewhere?

As if reading his thoughts, Kim Youngmin chuckled. “You and I both know that apart from your paranormal powers, your kind has also been blessed with superior brains. I don’t think it’s all that surprising for them to have outsmarted the task force involved in watching them.”

“Assuming what you’re telling me is true–” Kris swallowed nervously. “–what am I supposed to do about it?”

“Hunt them down, and kill them on sight.”

The way Kim Youngmin had said those words – callous and unfeeling – sent a violent shudder down Kris’s spine. Surely he wasn’t hearing this right?

Again, Kim Youngmin managed to guess what Kris was thinking about through the short pause that hung heavy in the air. “This is a direct order from the President himself, Kris. You are to head the team’s attacking force and wipe these rogue mutants out. They are a massive threat to mankind, and you would do well to remember your oath.”  
_  
I will pledge my loyalty and serve the National Defence Bureau without questions,_  Kris recalled that particular clause, and found himself at a loss. He’d promised himself that he wasn’t going to cause harm to his brethren, and yet–

“Have I made myself clear, Commander Wu?” Youngmin’s impatient voice cut into his thoughts just then, and Kris jolted a little in his seat.

Reluctantly, Kris nodded in acknowledgement. “Yes, sir. Perfectly clear,” he said, feeling his nails cutting into his palms beneath the table. If he sharpened his senses a little more, he could probably even smell the distinct metallic stench of blood.

Kim Youngmin’s smirk only grew wider.

 

 

 

\--

 

 

 

“Are you really going to do this?”

Kris cracked an eye open at the question, no longer surprised by the unannounced video conversation; Luhan seemed to have a penchant of doing that these days. Instead, Kris turned to look at the time, before groaning aloud. “Han, it’s four in the morning.”

“It’s not as though you’re getting any sleep by lying there.” Luhan shrugged, but Kris could see the weariness behind his mask of nonchalance. If there was anyone who treasured sleep as much as Kris did, it was Luhan. And for the mind reader to contact him at this time of the morning, Kris realised belatedly that he had probably left his mind channel open. Damn.

Sighing, Kris pulled himself to sit, scrubbing at his eyes. He’d been on the verge of finally getting some much-needed sleep when Luhan popped up. “The orders are absolute.”

Luhan frowned at him. “Do you remember what you’ve promised yourself – what you’ve promised  _us_  – when you took up this position at the NDB?”

There was betrayal in Luhan’s voice, one that made Kris’s heart clench guiltily in response, and it all turned into anger within the matter of seconds.

“I do, Luhan, I really do!” Kris yelled back in frustration, taking Luhan by surprise. “Do you really believe that I haven’t, even for a second, thought about convincing the Director otherwise?”

“Then why didn’t you–”

“You _know_  what they’re going to do if I went against their orders, Han!” He cut Luhan off, angry at the fact that Luhan, of all people, was questioning his integrity. Luhan, who was supposed to be the person who knew him best. Luhan, who was supposed to stand by his side no matter what happened.

Perhaps everything did indeed change when he decided to walk out of Kris’s life as the other half to his whole.

Luhan seemed to want to say something at that, but he opened his mouth only briefly before shutting it again. Kris looked away from the screen, and there were several heartbeats’ worth of silence before Luhan uttered a soft  _‘sorry’_  and ended the conversation.

Exhausted, Kris, pulled his long legs close to his chest and pressed his forehead against his knees. Not for the first time, he asked himself this:  _why did I not let them kill me when they had the chance?_

\--

Kris had his hands in his coat pockets as he watched over Seoul from his usual spot. By this time, Luhan normally would have taken a jab at him for acting as though he was the silent protector of the city, but today, his mind was oddly free of intrusion from said man.

He knew he was on a serious mission – sure that Luhan knew, too – but he couldn’t help feeling a little empty inside.

“Who exactly  _are_  these so-called rogue mutants?” As if sensing his thoughts, Luhan’s voice spoke up in his mind.

Kris frowned a little. Exactly how much was the Director hiding from the rest of the NDB, if even Luhan did not possess the information to this mission? “The Phoenix, Shadow, Maelstrom, Tempest, and Blinder, I was told. Do you know any of them?”

He could almost feel Luhan’s exasperation seconds later. “No,” he said. “I don’t think I’ve ever heard of them before. Don’t you have their birth names? You know I can’t work around codenames, Dragon.”

Despite the seriousness of the matter, Kris couldn’t help the chuckle which bubbled out of his throat. “I’m as stumped as you are, Seer.” He told Luhan, then sighed. “If even you have no idea who they are, who am I to say anything about their identities?”

Luhan grunted at him. “I thought the Director would have told you something. I won’t be of much help, then.”

“It’s fine,” Kris assured. “It’s better if you and Xing stayed out of this. You don’t have to shoulder the guilt, this way.”

If Luhan were physically there with him, Kris was sure the other man would’ve kneed him by now. He winced at the thought just as Luhan made a disgruntled noise. “Again with your  _I’ll bear everything on your behalf heroics_. We’re supposed to be in this together.”

“This is a choice I’ve made, Han.” Kris reminded him. His sharp eyes scanned his immediate vicinity meanwhile, trying to locate his team members who were on ground level. He had been placed on a completely different team this time – these men were the ones who knew the faces of the mutants they were hunting down that day – and they remained deathly silent. Everyone was on high alert.

“A choice which you would surely sulk over for the next few months.” Luhan huffed, and Kris had to smile at how well Luhan knew him. The tension from the night before seemed to have melted away with time.

“Don’t worry,” Kris told Luhan as the head of operations signalled the sighting of the mutants. “I’ll be fine.”

And Kris allowed his broad wings to unfurl behind him, shutting off his mind channel as he leapt off the building and soared across the skies.

He certainly hoped that his words to Luhan rang true.

 

 

 

\--

 

 

 

Going up against one mutant was one thing, but clashing head to head with a  _group_  of them was an entirely different ball game altogether. And, as much as he hated to admit it, Kris could see why the President wanted nothing else but for this group to be eliminated. Each of them held powers that, when put together, could create a massive force of destruction. His team members recognised that, and worked at breaking the mutants apart.

It had struck Kris that something wasn’t quite right when he launched an offense on the group, however. The Director had informed him that the group was plotting a  _coup d’état_ , but when his squadron converged on them, it seemed to Kris that they had absolutely no idea why they were being attacked out of the blue, nor were they prepared to fight back.

It took a long while before the group of supposedly rogue mutants began to counterattack, but when they did, Kris had a close shave from a wave of flames which was shot directly at him. He snarled and spun rapidly out of harm’s way before facing his attacker, only to find a majestic phoenix with wings in a brilliant shade of crimson and gold hovering in the air before him, each movement of its wings generating a strong gust of wind that rivalled Kris’s. The lanky man who was closest to his height had disappeared from the group.

“Why are you attacking us?” The Phoenix asked, and instantly the voice struck Kris as familiar. He knew this man, from a very long time ago. Why hadn't Kris recognised him from the beginning?

"You pose a serious threat to everyone else’s safety, Chanyeol. I'm only acting under orders." Kris informed him easily, and he could hear two simultaneous gasps – one from the man himself, and another from Luhan.

Yes, they did indeed come from a long way back. Kris didn't know if he should laugh or cry at the fact that he was being reunited with his old friends in such a manner.

"Yifan?" Kris could hear the incredulity in Chanyeol's voice. "I thought you were  _dead_. Your mother–"

"–Is none of your concern." Kris interrupted, and immediately threw a fireball in Chanyeol's direction. Even if he didn't want to fight an old friend of his, the choice wasn't his to make. His title as a commander in the NDB dictated his actions now, even if his heart screamed for him to do the opposite.

The wrenching wail of the Phoenix pierced through the atmosphere when Kris's attack grazed the tip of Chanyeol's wing, drawing blood. Before Chanyeol could utter a thing about Kris playing dirty, though, he was hit with another attack coming from ground level.

Kris went wide-eyed as the shot from his squad member pierced right through Chanyeol’s chest – a round from the sniper, no doubt. He had intended to subdue Chanyeol and obtain information from him regarding his group’s plans, but as he watched Chanyeol’s Phoenix form regress into his human body against his will, Kris knew that it was a lost cause.

He swallowed and turned away as Chanyeol’s human body fell towards the ground, his life sucked right out of him by the sniper’s special bullet. Hypocritical as it may seem to others, Kris still offered a silent prayer for Chanyeol, and left in search for the remaining members of Chanyeol’s group.

He could only hope that there weren’t any other friends of his in the fray.

\--

It was chaos when Kris swooped close to ground level. Many of the special task force members had been brought down when he took a closer look, and Kris was reminded again of the main reason why humankind had waged war upon the mutants five years ago. Small as their numbers may be, the mutants were a massive force on their own, and he could see why the humans felt threatened.

In the past, he had sorely hoped that normal humans could stop and listen to the mutants, that they did not bear the ill intentions of harming anyone else with their abnormal powers – powers which they have never asked to be born with. All it took was for one highly ambitious mutant called Chen to nullify everything the rest of the mutant community had to say, though. With his band of friends, Chen had the opinion that only the strongest should rule, and as such, he had launched an all-out assault which had triggered this longstanding human-mutant war and the massive witch hunt for the remaining mutants.

The scar between Kris’s shoulder blades throbbed painfully as he thought back on the Dark War.

Something caught his attention just then, dragging Kris out of his memories at the sight. His squad members were moving at an agonisingly slow pace on ground level, almost as though they were a part of a scene from a movie done dramatically. He instantly realised what was going on.

Chronos was here with the group. He’d seen the codename in the NDB’s database before, along with a description of his presumptive powers. Time control. There was no doubt about it, though being a bearer of the X-gene, it automatically meant that Kris was immune to Chronos’s powers. Save for Yixing’s special abilities of healing, only physical attacks worked on another mutant. Kris had the upper hand, when it boiled down to a face off.

_Luhan, get me the coordinates to Chronos's location, now._ He forced the connection through as he returned to his human form, mission protocols be fucked. It was extremely clear to Kris that the man who was in charge of intelligence for their mission was incompetent – you should never miss the participation of another mutant in any operation. One extra mutant meant a five-, ten-fold increase in casualties, and that was one slip-up no one could afford to make.

Luhan obviously knew it wasn't part of his job description when he snarled back at Kris. _I'm not a tracker dog, you know_ , he said indignantly, though Kris knew that he could always count on Luhan to get things done in the most satisfactory manner.

_Two alleys down, to your right,_  came the direction moments later, and Kris immediately jumped onto it.

True enough, he found Chronos hidden in an alley, eyes closed in deep meditation while his powers continued to play with Kris's squad members as though they were nothing more than mere puppets for his amusement. The young man of Chinese descent was not to be underestimated, however, when he quickly pulled out his metal staff from behind and parried a surprise attack from Kris.

Kris was greeted by a pair of eyes as sharp as razor when the man opened them at the rude interruption. He had to admit, he was impressed with Chronos's impeccable concentration. His powers hadn't waned a single bit, even with the foiled ambush attempt earlier.

"It's not nice to disturb someone when they're meditating." The man drawled, accent thick. He remained unmoving, only attempting to pin Kris down with his gaze.

Kris stood his ground. "It's not nice to wreak havoc on what was supposed to be a peaceful city, either." He told Chronos bemusedly. His fingers curled into tightly-clenched fists as they continued to stare each other down; Kris could feel his wings itching to break out of his skin once again.

“We wouldn’t be doing this, if your  _owners_  hadn't attacked us. It’s normal to retaliate when you're under fire, isn't it?” Chronos said, and his derogatory tone didn’t go unnoticed by Kris. Kris snarled at the younger man, his back throbbing just a little more painfully from his anger.

Something struck Kris just then, however, and the confusion washed over him. He’d like to think that he was good at reading another person’s face, owing to the years he had spent trying to understand Luhan, and Chronos’s expressions now was exactly like Chanyeol’s had been.

There was nothing but bewilderment behind Chronos’s sharp eyes, concealed but not unnoticeable.

“You…” Kris hesitated. “Weren’t you planning on a  _coup d’état_?”

This time, Chronos’s expressions turned downright incensed. “ _Coup d’état_? We were planning nothing of the sort!” He growled at Kris, his grip on his staff tightening visibly. “We were only trying to get out of town and head to somewhere more secluded!”

Kris frowned. There was a part of him which wanted to believe in Chronos, believe in the vulnerability which had briefly flashed across the man’s features, but the words of his Director came to mind.  _What makes you think they do not have the ability to outsmart everyone?_ He hesitated a little, then allowed the raw power thrumming in his veins to pick up in intensity, his scaly black wings breaking through his skin as a show of his distrust.

“How do I know that you’re telling the truth?” He hedged, and Chronos only smirked back.

“I’ve expected nothing less than your doubt,” Chronos told him with a shrug, his muscles moving into an attacking stance. “And I’m not harbouring some stupid hope that you’re going to let me walk out of this without a fight, either.”

Behind them, outside the alley, Kris could hear the pained screams of his squad members, no doubt getting torn apart by the other mutants who were with Chronos. The stakes were high, and the NDB couldn’t possibly lose any more personnel from their elite squad. Something had to be done, and  _fast_.

He made his decision in a heartbeat, and unleashed a fireball in Chronos’s direction, though that was parried fairly easily. What greeted Kris after that was a confident, mocking smirk from Chronos, as if challenging him.  _Is that all you’ve got?_

But Kris wasn’t about to falter here, not to this green-looking Chinese man he had to face. He had years of experience in combats ahead of Chronos, he was sure, having been thrust into a world of massive bloodshed in his late teens. It was not an experience to boast about – the killings and his indirect acts of torture, the blood on his hands – but it had steeled Kris up enough to ignore even the person who’d meant the most to him for five full years.

He opened up his neural gateways to the barrier holding his full potential back, infusing more force into his attacks, and he could see the surprise on the other man’s face when he realised he was being pushed back by Kris’s assaults. It wasn’t time to gloat, though, knowing that the tides could be turned against him if he let his concentration falter. Kris also knew he couldn’t afford to let this fight drag out any longer than it already had; he could feel his own energy reserves dwindling rapidly.

So he forced himself to focus even more on throwing the most explosive attack he could at Chronos, with the aim to subdue but not kill him. He needed Chronos for explanations, and with none of his squad members around to mess things up, this was the perfect opportunity to do so.

Except, Kris had miscalculated one thing – or rather, he had forgotten about the existence of another person in Chronos’s small band of supposedly-rogue mutants.

Just as he summoned up a massive ball of fire and launched it at Chronos, someone suddenly appeared out of thin air, pushing Chronos out of the way and taking the brunt of Kris’s attack right in the back.

Chronos seemed as surprised as Kris was at the appearance of the newcomer. “Kai!” He yelled, scrambling to his feet as Kris reeled from his confusion. “Kai! Are you okay?!”

_It’s Shadow,_  Luhan informed him, his voice tight. Kris blinked a little at the scene before him, of Chronos tending to another young man with attractive sun-kissed skin, his blond hair caked with blood from the wound Kris had just given him. Kris had calculated his previous attack, knowing that it would not wound Chronos critically, but with Shadow –  _Kai_ – jumping out to take the hit for Chronos, Kris suddenly wasn’t too sure about the damage he had inflicted on him.

“I’m– I’m fine.” Kris could hear Kai gasping as he tried to prop himself up on his less-injured arm. “Go, I’ll take things from here.”

“Are you  _crazy_ –” Chronos began to protest, only to shut up immediately when Kai yelled at him.

“I said go, Zitao!” He gasped through the pain again. “Baekhyun needs you, and if you care about him, then  _go_!”

Zitao needed no further words to convince him to leave Kai alone in the alley. Kris remained rooted in his spot as Zitao dashed past him, leaving Kai behind, but he did not fail to miss the tears in Zitao’s eyes, as though he was already mourning for his dear friend’s imminent death.

When Kris blinked again, Kai had already pulled himself to his feet. A half-wince was the only indication that he was in pain, and Kris had to commend Kai for his iron will. Kris knew how his powers worked; the burn usually lingered long after the actual hit, like a smouldering piece of charcoal embedded in your skin, slowly causing more damage as time passed. It was only going to get worse.

“Aren’t you going to end me like you did Chanyeol?” Kai spoke up just then, his gaze determined. He was fearless, Kris realised, even though he was staring Death in the face.

Kris could kill him right now if he wanted to, but that was beside the point. Something about this group of rogue mutants and their reactions towards Kris’s squadron’s attacks seemed off. They were holding back, the lot of them, as he went through the images Luhan was feeding into his mind, of the fights which were occurring elsewhere. He swallowed when Tempest –  _Sehun_ , Maelstrom had called him – went down from an ambush while he was trying to defend Maelstrom.

“Why aren’t you retaliating with your full powers?” Kris found himself asking, and Kai’s defensive stance went slightly lax by the sudden question.

“We have our reasons,” came the simple reply, before the space where Kai stood suddenly split open, swallowing Kai into the darkness. Kris cursed loudly, and immediately kicked hard against the ground, sending himself airborne within the matter of seconds. Now that he had the pattern of Kai’s powers embedded in his memories (thanks to Luhan), it wasn’t at all difficult for him to track the younger man down when he was close by.

Kris only realised the extent of the damage he had inflicted on Kai when he caught the man appearing and disappearing in short distances across buildings. Even if he had never seen Kai in a true battle, Kris knew that Kai could traverse a distance greater than this. He could feel the strong power pulsating through Kai’s veins earlier, but he also knew how much being in pain could affect a mutant. He had been in that same position once, when he had faced Chen in a fight. The pain had been so excruciating that he couldn’t even focus on getting himself to stand properly, and he was sure Kai was going through the same experience right now.

It didn’t take long for him to chase the space manipulator down, when he had the advantage of speed over Kai. It was also obvious that Kai wasn’t trained to control the extent of his powers; he drained the last of it soon enough, forgetting to balance it with the rate his body was attempting to heal his injuries.

Kris landed before Kai when the latter fell to the ground on all fours in exhaustion, a block or so away from where they had first met, and he felt sorry, watching Kai heaving and gasping through the pain and struggling to keep himself conscious at the same time. He recalled his wings, squatting down so that he was at eye level with Kai, and sighed. “Why do you have to make things so damned difficult?”

Despite the agony he was probably going through, the fire in Kai’s eyes wasn’t the least bit weakened when they cut up to glare at Kris. Kris was expecting to see the fear in them – fear for his impending doom – but all he saw was endless defiance instead.

“If you want to kill me–” Kai hissed through clenched teeth. Kris ignored the way Kai’s neck veins were standing out from the strain, or the blood that was flowing freely down his arms, pooling beneath his hands which were pressed against the asphalt. “–just do it already and spare me the crap.”

Kris frowned at him. “I intended to wound, not kill.” He said. “There are things that I need to clarify, and you lot aren’t being of much help when you’re hitting back whenever I try to talk.”

Kai laughed at him derisively, obviously not buying his words. Kris couldn’t blame him. He was a high-ranking official in the NDB after all, and even if he hadn’t announced it in the open, that much was probably clear to Kai. “If you really wanted to talk, your fellow  _dogs_  wouldn’t have fired at us on sight.” Kai shot back.

Kris frowned. He had a point.

But Kris wanted to let Kai know that he was willing to have a ceasefire now, for as long as it takes him to clarify his group’s true intentions, but before he could even say another word, the sound of incoming footsteps shattered his attention. Kris stiffened at once. The slapping of metal against soft fabric was telltale, and he quickly grabbed Kai by the hand, shoving him into the nearest alley and hiding the injured boy behind a stack of crates.

“Shut the fuck up and stay put if you want to live on!” Kris hissed angrily when Kai struggled against his hold and tried to get up.

Thankfully, Kai was far too injured to put up a decent fight, and Kris managed to turn around just in time to find a member of his squad coming to a stop at the mouth of the alley. Behind him, Kai had gone very still. Kris couldn’t even hear his intake of breaths, and he hoped Kai didn’t decide to suddenly die on him.

“Did you find them, Commander Wu?” The middle-aged man asked, panting heavily from exertion. “I lost the time controller.”

There wasn’t an ounce of hesitation in him as Kris shook his head. “I was chasing after the space manipulator, but he disappeared on me.” He said, making himself appear troubled. And, as if on cue, their leader for the mission, Park Jungmin, addressed their squad through their earpieces. Kris was grateful for the timely interjection.

“We need to regroup and figure out another strategy to rope them in.” The man said gruffly, acting as though Kris wasn’t several ranks higher than him in the NDB. “The Director wouldn’t be pleased if we failed to kill all of them.”

Kris cleared his throat to remind Jungmin that he was still there. “I think I stand a better chance at killing them if I were to work alone.” He offered. “I have my eyes on the space manipulator, and anyone who’s grouped with me will be nothing but deadweight. You can’t possibly catch up to us, if you’re only going by foot.” He spat those words out mercilessly, but it was necessary to get them off his back.

Park Jungmin was silent for a long moment, before grunting in response. “Suit yourself. I don’t have the authority to order you around.”

Even with the verbal affirmation that he had free reign to go in pursuit of the rogue mutants, Kris did not dare rest easy until he was sure that everyone on his team was out of earshot.

By then, though, Kai was already long gone from the alley, and Kris cursed aloud again when he found the spot behind the crates devoid of the boy’s presence.

 

 

 

\--

 

 

 

“Smooth.”

Kris rolled his eyes exaggeratedly the very moment he was greeted with that, and pushed past Luhan who was tailing after him with an amused smile on his lips. “None of that from you, Han.”

“What, I thought you’d be smart enough to not keep your eyes off that boy.” Luhan commented unrepentantly, oblivious to Kris’s growing annoyance. Then again, knowing Luhan, he was probably getting on Kris’s nerves on purpose.

Kris threw himself onto Luhan’s sofa, his expressions a reflection of an incoming thunderstorm. “Do I look like I had a choice back then?” He snapped darkly. “It was a gamble I had to take. I didn’t expect him to have enough energy left to teleport away.”

Luhan shrugged as he draped himself across Kris’s long legs. Kris ignored the pang of nostalgia that wracked through him. “To your credit, though, he didn’t.” He commented offhandedly, but it was enough to get Kris to perk up in attention.

“What d’you mean?”

“Like I said,” Luhan started, “he’s not technically supposed to have any strength left to utilise his powers.”

“Then how–”

Luhan flicked Kris’s forehead to cut him off, earning yet another snarl from Kris. “You’re underestimating the power of determination. Again.”

Kris breathed noisily. “Yeah, yeah. You and your determination.” He grumbled, and Luhan laughed a little before eyeing Kris seriously. Kris merely blinked back at him. “What?”

“There’s a reason why you’re here, isn’t there.” Luhan said, his fingers digging into the fabric of Kris’s shirt. He had never ceased to amaze Kris how he would always be able to read his mind, even when Kris was trying hard to keep him out of it.

In the end, Kris sighed in defeat and looked away. “You know what I need.”

Luhan’s tight smile was his only reply.

 

 

 

\--

 

 

 

Kris cautiously dropped himself into the apartment unit, having found a window which had been carelessly left unlocked. His bare feet were silent against the wooden flooring, his ears perked in attention as he walked further into the unit, taking in the sights and sounds to the best of his ability.

He could never thank Luhan enough for always playing along with his selfish whims, even when they both knew what Kris was about to do would land them in those glass cylinders in the headquarters. It was a major breach of their oath, to seek out convicts without letting anyone else know.

But Kris could not forget the determination and defiance in Kai’s eyes, seeing them in his waking hours and in his sleep. Besides, there were still questions left unanswered – questions which would probably change Kris's perspective of the war and the humans he was working for. With the others from the group dead, Kris was left with only one option.

For a moment, though, he wondered if his trip here was a complete waste of time. The apartment seemed as though it had been left uninhabited for months on end, with dust collecting thickly on surfaces which were left bare, and yellowing newspapers scattered across the floor, the air stale and musty to his nose whenever he accidentally inhaled a little too strongly. Just then, a weak force resonated with the powers running through Kris’s veins, effectively dispelling his previous concerns. 

Following the resonance pulsating within him, Kris quietly padded his way through the apartment towards one of the bedrooms, knowing that Kai was close. It didn't seem as though Kai had noticed him at all, and the strength of Kai's resonance was weak, giving Kris a general idea of his current state.

In fact, Kris was more surprised that Kai hadn't succumbed to his injuries yet. It  _had_  been close to a day since he'd been severely wounded by Kris, after all, and with the way he had been utilising his powers, which no doubt had taken a great toll upon Kai's body, he was probably very close to dying.

Kris found Kai passed out on the bed when he walked into the room, his breathing shallow and laboured. He was much paler compared to when Kris had last seen him, owing to the telltale patch of redness staining the sheets. He stirred when Kris moved close enough to the bed, and Kris had to commend him for being capable enough to sense his presence even though Kris was moving almost soundlessly.

"Here to finish me off?" Kai laughed gaspingly, but Kris could see how he was struggling to stay conscious.

He pushed Kai back down on the bed when the younger man tried to get up, glaring disapprovingly at him. "If I really wanted to kill you–" Kris said in a low snarl, making sure Kai was listening closely to every syllable of his, "–I would have done it yesterday; would have done it before you could even open your eyes today. I'm perfectly capable of that."

"Then why didn't you?" Kai smirked back, confident as hell even as his life slowly slipped right out of his fingers. "Just so you could taunt me? Turn me into a lab rat like the rest?"

Out of anger, Kris slammed a hand against the headboard, and he revelled in the way Kai jolted from the sound, his confident edge faltering from the shock.

There was nothing he hated more than to hear that term being thrown at him. It wasn’t in his powers to put a stop to what the government wanted to do to the captured mutants – they made sure of that. There were so many clauses in place to limit the powers he had in the NDB.

"I am  _trying_  to find out what the government is up to." He breathed heavily, hissing each word through clenched teeth when he made sure Kai’s attention was focused on him. "And I need your side of the story, Kai, so God help me, I need you to stop being such a cocky little shit for once!"

At least Kai's expressions softened a little at Kris's words. "I–" He swallowed thickly. "How am I supposed to help–" A breathless gasp of pain. "–when I'm midway to kicking the bucket?"

The tension bled out of Kris when he heard what Kai had to say, and he flashed a tight smile at the younger man. "I'm offering you a place to stay while you recuperate. I have someone who could help you, if you agree to come along."

"You  _work_  with the NDB." Kai shot back incredulously, probably wondering if Kris was out of his mind. "How sure am I that your men won't come bursting in through the doors for me?"

Kris's smile turned into a smirk at that. "The most dangerous place is also the safest. Haven't you heard?"

 

 

\--

 

 

 

Yixing was a slight man when he stood next to Kris, muscular in the right places owing to his love for dancing, and would always be labelled as mild whenever people looked at him. That all changes when he was pissed, though, and Kris could tell you exactly how much of a punch he packed.

Kris once again found himself at the receiving end of Yixing's rare bouts of violence when he was socked right in the gut the moment he answered the door, the pain sending him doubling over.

The resentment was clear in Yixing’s voice when he spoke next. "You  _asshole_. Don't you ever spring things like this on me ever again." He snapped at Kris, and sidestepped him to get into the house.

Yixing was  _really_  pissed, Kris realised, when the healer didn't even bother to help him up like he usually would.

"You kind of deserved that. I would've punched you too if I had a valid reason for it." Luhan chimed in, and Kris looked up in surprise. He hadn't really expected Luhan to come over with Yixing, though he wasn't really sure why. Luhan and Yixing were close to inseparable in the NDB, after all.

"Thanks for the vote of confidence." Kris grumbled as he pulled himself to stand, using the wall as support.

Luhan shrugged. "Well, you  _did_  stick one of your friends in prison, then picked a complete stranger off the streets and allowed him to stay at your place even though he's a lot more dangerous than said friend of yours."

Kris groaned at him, still clutching at his stomach. "I get it, stop."

"Good!" Yixing suddenly yelled from the room, surprising him. He wasn't even aware that Yixing had been listening. "Because I'm not going to let you live this down!"

Luhan shrugged again next to Kris as he kicked the door shut, the way he always did when they were continuing with their heavy make out sessions from outside, and flounced into the apartment as though he owned the place. Kris could only helplessly trail along with a soft grunt.

Yixing was already at work when they arrived at Kris’s bedroom, enveloping Kai in a glowing aura as he healed the space manipulator. As reluctant as he had sounded over the video conversation to help Kris out with patching Kai up, he was certainly giving his all right now. Kris knew he was being unfair, putting both Yixing and Luhan’s lives on the line by doing something as risky as shielding someone who was being hunted down by their own organisation. But there were simply too many holes, too many secrets in the organisation’s working mechanism for Kris to put his full trust in the NDB.

Oath or no oath, this was something which went against Kris’s principles.

“Stop thinking so loudly. You’re going to distract Xing.” Luhan jabbed him in the side just then, but before he could even retort, Yixing let out a sigh.

“What exactly happened to him? He’s in a terrible condition.”

“He pushed his friend aside and bore the brunt of my attack.” Kris said, the guilt eating at him. “It wasn’t supposed to deal this much damage, if it had hit the person I had been aiming for.”

“Accidents happen, don’t dwell too much on it.” Luhan commented, turning a little more sympathetic than he had been just moments ago. Kris flashed him a tight smile when he squeezed Kris’s shoulder in encouragement.

Yixing nodded in agreement. “Luhan’s right. It’s going to take some time before he’ll be in mint condition, but it’s nothing I can’t deal with.” He paused in his ministrations for a brief moment to hold Kris’s gaze down seriously just then, however. “About the NDB. You said you can’t trust them anymore. What gives?”

Kris sighed; he knew this was coming when he relayed his thoughts earlier. “There’s something shady going on behind these orders to wipe everyone out – a lot shadier than what we’re already used to seeing.” He told them as he dropped himself onto a chair, staring intently at Kai’s prone form instead of at his friends. “Kai, the rest of his group – they all claimed that they weren’t planning on a  _coup d’état_ , unlike what the Director’s telling me. I felt the need to investigate. You guys–”

“–will do this with you.” Luhan cut him off, sending Kris a disapproving glare. “Don’t even think about convincing us otherwise.”

The light in Luhan’s eyes was insistent, telling Kris that he was being serious, that nothing will change his mind. When he turned to look at Yixing, he had the exact same look on his face. Kris could only smile wryly at them. “I hope you know what you’re getting yourselves into. We’re probably going to be the ones getting hunted down next.”

Yixing barked out a laugh at Kris’s words, breaking the tense atmosphere. “That’s not gonna scare me off, Yifan. I’ve wanted to give the NDB a piece of my mind for a while now.” He said firmly. “Now, you told me earlier that you’ll help me with anything if I was willing to patch Kai up. What I want is simple–”

Except, Kris mused to himself, what Yixing wanted wasn’t so simple at all.

They were going to have to break Minseok out of his glass prison.

 

 

\--

 

 

 

“I still don’t get why you wanted to save me, if you’re going to end up killing me anyway.” Kai said when Kris walked into the room with a tray of porridge in his hands. He frowned at the younger man as he set the tray on the night table, and heaved a noisy sigh as he took a seat.

“I told you, I’m not going to kill you.” He snapped impatiently, though he couldn’t stop his eyes from wandering towards the bandages wrapped around Kai’s body. He’d so painstakingly put them on for the boy earlier, being mindful to keep his actions gentle. Even then, Kai had winced in pain with the slightest increase in pressure. “What I need are answers.”

It was several healing sessions down the road before Kris realised he had done more damage on the boy than he had initially imagined. While Yixing had been working diligently at healing Kai, Kai had just barely managed to get himself to sit up. Kris dreaded to think what would have become of Kai if he’d unleashed his full powers on Zitao the other day.

At the very least, Kai wouldn’t be sitting here with his body parts completely intact; that much Kris was sure of.

Kai snorted, though the sound was weak, considering his general condition. “I don’t trust in the people who work for the NDB.”

Kris visibly winced at Kai’s words. He couldn’t find it in himself to blame Kai for having such thoughts, though; he wouldn’t trust himself either, if he were in Kai’s shoes. “You say that, yet you’re seated on my bed.” He said mildly, watching as Kai frowned back at him. “I know it’s going to be difficult to convince you, but I swear on my life that I  _am_ trying to help.”

“After killing so many of our kind? Sure.” Kai rolled his eyes at Kris and turned to look out the window.

“Amazing how you’re still capable of being so passive-aggressive when you’re this wounded.” Kris mumbled miserably. It wasn’t as though he took pride in what he was doing; he knew he had betrayed the mutant brethren greatly, yet he yearned to make amends for that. “Please, I really just need answers.”

There was a loud exhale, before Kai whipped around to look at him again. His expressions spoke of nothing but reluctance. Kris knew he was only giving in on the account that he had saved Kai’s life.

“Why are you doing this, when you’ve been hunting everyone down all this while?”

Kris swallowed. “Not everything is as it seems, Kai.” He said quietly, contemplating if he should divulge the circumstances leading to his current situation. Kai was practically still a stranger to him, yet when Kris looked at him, it was as though his eyes were imploring Kris to tell him his deepest secrets. It was a peculiar feeling; Kris had only ever felt this with Luhan.

“Enlighten me, then.” Kai replied. “How am I supposed to trust you, if you can’t even tell me that much?”

Kris sighed, finding himself cave. He leaned back in his seat, looking up at the ceiling instead of at Kai. The emotions were already threatening to drown him as it was. “When the human-mutant war first started, the NDB wanted me to join their side, to fight off the mutants involved in the rebellion in South Korea. I had refused; there was no way I would –  _could_  – harm my own kind.”

“But eventually you did.” Kai prompted. Kris could hear the trace of curiosity lacing his words, the hostility less pronounced.

“Eventually I did.” Kris agreed. “Because they held my parents hostage and threatened to kill them if I didn’t.” A gasp – it wasn’t unexpected, but it still sent a sharp stab to Kris’s chest. “My parents were my entire world, back then, and I couldn’t let them die for me because of my own principles. They weren’t mutants, you see.”

“Back then, you say?”

A bittersweet smile found its way to Kris’s lips. Talking about this matter to someone else aside from Luhan dredged up a whole lot of unpleasant memories from his past, of the time when his mother had been left screaming his name as he walked away from his parents as though he was cold-blooded. He sucked in a deep breath when her wretched voice echoed in his mind.

_Yifan! Yifan! Don’t do this! Don’t go!_

“I had to remove myself from my parents’ lives and pretend I didn’t care about them anymore. The NDB would eventually find a way to use them against me if I did. So you see, I don’t have much of a reason to side the NDB if I had the choice.”

_I’m sorry_  was the only thing which left Kai’s lips. Apologies seemed a little too overused, these days, and Kris could no longer find the comfort in them, even if he wanted to, so he stood up and walked out of the room.

Running away was the only thing Kris Wu was ever good at doing, anyway.

\--

Another week passed them by before Kai could even keep himself steady on his feet. Kris exerted extreme patience with helping him out whenever he could, while alternating himself between the NDB’s headquarters and his home, though Yixing and Luhan paid considerably more visits to Kris’s apartment throughout.

They had all agreed that it wasn’t a good idea to alert the NDB this early on, especially when the higher-ups were all adamant at hunting Kai down. Kai had been labelled as an extremely dangerous criminal – Kai had snorted when Kris told him that – and most operations were aimed at capturing him, allowing them to kill him on sight if he showed any resistance.

It was difficult for Kris to keep a straight face, considering the fact that he was basically committing treason of the highest order against the NDB for keeping Kai in his home, but no one had to know that he was intentionally diverting their attention towards the wrong leads, that he was messing up the entire operation by confusing his colleagues even more.

For some reason, Kris felt compelled to believe in Kai when the younger man had insisted that his group had no plans on overturning the current government. Perhaps it was because he knew for a fact mutants rarely ever lied – they were a bunch with high integrity. Or perhaps it was because of the honesty reflected in Kai’s innocent eyes.

Kris didn’t know; didn’t want to find out, either.

What he  _did_  know, though, was that he trusted the NDB a little less with each passing day, with each increasing evidence that went against everything the NDB had claimed itself to be.

 

 

 

\--

 

 

 

Luhan’s discovery was what shattered their faith in the NDB completely.

“They’re not doing the research to remove the X-gene.” Luhan told them breathlessly, when he’d barged into Kris’s apartment during one of Kai’s final healing sessions.

Yixing’s powers immediately died out from the confusion. “What are you talking about, Luhan?” He asked, staring at Luhan as though the Seer had gone mad. He did look the part, when his hair was completely mussed up. “They promised that their research was strictly for that purpose when we joined.”

“I  _know_  what we were told, Xing.” Luhan bristled in frustration. “But what I’m saying is true. They’re not doing this to turn us back into regular humans!”

Kai, who had been leaning against Kris’s side so that Yixing could work on the entire expanse of his back, sniffed at his words. “I can’t believe you guys actually bought that bullshit. Of course they’re not going to help us. They  _despise_  us. They have nothing else in mind but to eradicate us.”

Kris sighed when Luhan opened his mouth to argue. “Enough of this, you two. This isn’t the time to be fighting amongst ourselves.” He said in a low growl, ignoring the way Luhan was glaring at the contact between Kai’s skin and his bare arm. “Luhan, what is this about?”

It was obvious how frustrated Luhan was when he flopped down on the floor instead of getting himself something to sit on, like he usually would. “I was listening in on Minseok’s mind, to hear what the researchers were discussing about, if they were going to harm Minseok in any way.” He began, running a hand through his hair in an anxious habit.

That had Yixing on the edge in an instant. “Did they?”

“No, Minseok was unconscious from the drugs they were giving him, and they’re only analysing his gene sequence at the moment.” Luhan quickly amended himself before Yixing could freak out. “They were discussing about extracting the X-gene and replicating it, _manufacturing_  it in masses.”

“What do you mean,  _manufacture_?” Kris asked, frowning deeply. “They can’t be that insane.” It wasn’t exactly a secret that the human-mutant war in each country was a separate entity from the rest. Even the researches on mutants and the X-gene were done independently, with no sharing of information between countries.

“But they can, and they are.” Kai chipped in, shrugging. “We’ve always known that someone from the NDB has been tailing us and making notes on our powers.”

Luhan nodded solemnly. “It’s exactly what it sounds, Yifan. They’re trying to produce an army of mindless soldiers with the X-gene. One that will bend to their every will with a single command, unlike us.” He then turned to Kai and held his gaze firmly. “And Jongin, they’re not dead.”

Kris whipped his gaze towards Kai, just in time to watch his pupils dilate. “What do you mean,  _‘they’re not dead’_?”

“Your friends. They’re not dead.” Luhan reiterated.

This time it was Kris’s turn to be confused. “But I thought I saw–”

“Chanyeol go down, yes. That is true.” Luhan agreed. “Turns out they used a strong drug to put him to sleep, masking even their auras to make them appear as though they’re dead. But they’re alive, and they’re kept in a secret lab away from our views. I heard the researchers talk about it.”

“What… exactly are they planning?” Kai –  _Jongin_  braved himself to ask. His grip on Kris’s forearm was firm, almost to the point of being painful, and Kris could feel the way Jongin’s hand trembled as he held on to Kris.

“Your group holds some of the strongest mutants in South Korea.” Luhan began, then gestured between himself, Kris, and Yixing. “And we’re already under their every beck and call. They’re trying to get our genes, our powers, and creating an army out of them.” He swallowed thickly, before continuing with the rest of his sentence.

“They’re going to wage war on the rest of the world.”

 

 

 

\--

 

 

 

“I really don’t like the sound of this,” Luhan pointed out as they stared at the blueprints of the headquarters laid out on Kris’s dining table. Beside him, Yixing had a look of worry, too.

“This is the best way.” Kris insisted. “Someone has to distract the ministers and the Directorial Board long enough for Jongin to get into the lab and get everyone out of it.

Luhan’s gaze snapped up to look at Kris, and he could see the fear in them. It was something very uncharacteristic of the Seer. “If they find out what we’re up to,  _you_  are going to end up dead.”

Kris sighed. He really didn’t want to go through this again. “It’s a risk we have to take, Han.” He said. “And out of all of us, I have the best chance at surviving an all-out assault.”

Everyone else at the table fell silent, their eyes practically boring holes into the blueprint, probably mulling over what Kris had said moments earlier, about their plans of breaking the other mutants out of their glass cells. They knew he was right; they all knew this was the only way, yet no one wanted to accept that fact.

At this point of time, it was clear to the group that the NDB was secretly functioning as a separate arm from the central government. Luhan had tapped into the mind of the President days earlier, and found out that he didn’t have any inkling about the researches which were going on in the underground labs of the NDB. Meanwhile, Director Kim had too strong of a mental blockade in place for it to be normal, when Luhan couldn’t even penetrate it.

Too many secrets.

Yixing was the first to get up, slamming the table in the process. “I’m not going to be there to save your ass if you die, Yifan.” He snapped, and turned to leave. Luhan seemed surprised for a moment, before he followed after Yixing to make sure the other man was alright, sending a warm wave of encouragement at Kris right before he left.

They both knew Yixing didn’t mean what he said; he was merely feeling guilty that he couldn’t talk Kris out of risking his life to save Minseok and the rest. It wasn’t as though Kris didn’t understand his worries, but he thought that he had to make amends for his wrongdoings, for betraying the trust of his fellow mutants.

It wasn’t long after Yixing and Luhan had left that Jongin squeezed Kris on his arm. Kris’s vision swam for a bit before it refocused on Jongin’s concerned face, though he forced himself to smile back at the younger man. Spending this much time around Jongin had made Kris grow very fond of him, and he’s already had Jongin’s contemplative look committed to mind by now.

“You’re worried too, aren’t you?” Kris laughed softly, then followed it up with a sigh. It was no use, trying to keep up a façade in front of Jongin – Jongin had called him out several times for hiding what he truly felt deep within, and Kris wondered if Jongin shared Luhan’s abilities to read someone else’s mind, even with all the locks in place.

The way Jongin knew his mind as well as Luhan did scared Kris sometimes.

“I’d be lying if I said I wasn’t.” Jongin smiled tightly. “Yixing is right, you know. It’s much too risky for you to be caught up in the middle of this. I might not be able to get you out in time.”

Kris shook his head and leaned into Jongin’s touch when the latter’s hand moved to cup his cheek. It was a little strange, to be this affectionate with someone who wasn’t Luhan after all these years, yet Kris couldn’t find it in himself to pull away. In fact, the touch made him feel a little light-headed.

“I’ve been through the most death-defying of situations. What’s another?”

“I still don’t think it’s necessary for you to put your life on the line to help get my friends out–”

Kris pressed his forehead against Jongin’s and stunned the latter into silence. If he listened a little closer, he could probably hear both their hearts thundering against their chests.

“This is something I  _have_  to do, Jongin.” He said quietly, unable to find the words to adequately describe the sense of responsibility he was feeling. He didn’t think anyone could understand why he was making such drastic decisions – didn’t expect them to.

Kris could hear Jongin swallowing moments later, feeling Jongin’s warm breath ghosting over his chapped lips. “I don’t expect you to let yourself get talked out of this, because that wouldn’t be the Wu Yifan I know.” He chuckled, and Kris found himself smiling along. “I just hope you’d be careful.”

_Consider that done_  was the quiet promise Kris made to Jongin, before he leaned in to close the distance between their lips.

It felt a lot like he was drawing his first breath all over again.

 

 

 

\--

 

 

 

_You’re totally fucking him, aren’t you?_

Kris had to stop himself from frowning physically when the voice spoke up in his mind. As much as Luhan was trying to conceal it, Kris could feel the resentment in those words, bitter and grating, and he wondered what exactly it was that Luhan wanted from him. They were technically over, but Luhan was acting like a jealous boyfriend right now. 

_Don’t be ridiculous, Han. We’re doing nothing of the sort,_  he shot back as he nodded in greeting at a guard who saluted him. They were on a serious mission that afternoon – one which may change their lives completely, or cause them to lose it altogether. Even if Kris knew what Luhan’s true intentions were, he really didn’t need the distraction at the moment.

The headquarters had an oppressive aura as usual, but Kris was thankful that despite the looming talks in the fifth floor meeting room, there weren’t any signs to indicate that the Director had ordered for the security in the facility to be buffed up. The amount of guards had remained unchanged, as far as Kris could remember.

_Yeah, sure, keep convincing yourself that_ was Luhan’s reply, and this time Kris really did roll his eyes in response. It was technically true – Kris wasn’t as physically involved with Jongin as he’d been with Luhan. Not yet, at least. All they shared were heavy make-out sessions and the occasional frotting, but Kris had never taken things any further, for fear of tiring Jongin’s still-weak body even more. 

_Stay focused,_  Kris snapped, hearing the disgruntled noise made by Luhan before he cleared his throat in the shared channel.  _I’m about to walk into the meeting room. I can only stall them for half an hour before they get suspicious._

_More than enough time for me to act_ , Jongin said smugly, and as expected, Luhan snorted at him. Kris mentally shoved at Luhan.

Still disgruntled, Luhan’s voice was stiff as he said,  _the rest of them are in the high-security facility a floor beneath the main lab, though I suppose Jongin’s more than capable of getting there without alerting anyone?_

There was a spark of annoyance from Jongin, and Kris rubbed at his temple to soothe his looming headache before calmly cutting in.  _Whatever happens_ , he stressed,  _all of you are to run without coming back for me. Do you understand me?_

No one said anything in response to that question; Kris had a feeling they wouldn’t listen to him even if he threatened to murder their asses if they went against his request. Sometimes being a little too tight-knit with the rest was a problem.

Before he could stress on the seriousness of his words, though, Kris had already been led into the meeting room by the guard. Even if he did not manage to warn his friends, he was sure that the sudden spike of his alertness would have tipped them off.

Kris sucked in a deep breath and steeled himself when Kim Youngmin beckoned him over to the empty seat next to him. He took a great step forward, easily sliding into the chair with a broad smile on his face.

This was the beginning of their rebellion.

 

 

 

\--

 

 

 

As expected, Minseok was the easiest to break out of his cell. It was a good thing Yixing had equipped himself with some fighting skills, because along with Luhan and Jongin, their powers could barely be considered as offensive. With the security centred upon the summit between the leaders of the South Korean government and the NDB several floors above them, it was easy for Yixing to walk into the lab without alerting anyone, and even easier for him to take out the unsuspecting guard after flashing an amiable smile at the poor victim.

It was also a grave mistake for the NDB to have taught Yixing and Luhan how to reverse the sedatives used to put the mutant prisoners to sleep, or release the locks on their glass prisons. They knocked out the other researchers who were milling about, and managed to get Kyungsoo and Soojung out as well.

Nevertheless, Jongin only brought Minseok along on their quest to get the rest of Jongin’s friends out of the lab. Kyungsoo and Soojung had been imprisoned far longer than Minseok had, and were at a point so weak that they could barely even stand. Jongin teleported them to safety before returning to grab Minseok, and with every successful rescue, they’d send a visual playback to Kris. It was a silent reassurance to him that they were fine, that things were going according to their plans.

Back in the meeting room, though, Kris was getting increasingly unsettled by the direction of their talks. While he knew Youngmin was harbouring the hopes of waging war upon the other countries with a mindless mutant army, he hadn’t expected for him to bring the issue up at the table. It was difficult for Kris to pretend that he didn’t already know what the Director was up to, when Kim Youngmin dropped vague hints about his plans throughout their discussion.

But in the end, Kim Youngmin brought it out in the open anyway.

Kris was the first to slam his hand against the table amongst the restless murmur of the other humans. “This is ridiculous.” He seethed. “This wasn’t what you promised when you brought us in, Director.”

What sickened him to the core was the unrepentant look on Kim Youngmin’s face. “I am well aware of what I have promised you, Kris.” Kim Youngmin said serenely, before turning towards the leaders of their country. “But think about this, gentlemen. With an army of such massive force under our wing, South Korea can finally exert its authority upon the rest of the countries. No more talks about colonisation, no more fear that our land could be conquered once again.”

Even if he was a part of the NDB, he was first and foremost a mutant – and for that, Kris felt compelled to vehemently go against Kim Youngmin’s plans.

“I will not allow you to subject my fellow mutants to such treatment. We are not lab rats for your experimentation, nor are we slaves at your perusal.” He boomed, feeling the anger turn into raw power in his veins. Kris could feel himself shake, his wings threatening to tear out of his back, and he was sure his irises were turning golden now, when several men began to back away from him.

The light in Youngmin’s eyes, though, was not made of fear. Instead, all Kris could see was a challenging edge, and… power?

Slowly, Youngmin rose from his seat. “I am demanding for you to sit, Commander Wu. You are in no position to bargain or object.”

“Do not, for a moment, think that I won’t attack you because of your position–”

“Actually, I would  _urge_ you to do it.” Youngmin cut in with a smirk, just as Luhan sent him a mental image of Jongin breaking Chanyeol and Zitao out of their prisons. “Because you see–” At the sight of a tiny spark of electricity at the tip of his fingers, Kris immediately jumped out of the way and morphed into his dragon form. The vase behind him shattered into pieces when a bolt of electricity connected with it.

“– _you_  are not the only mutant in the topmost ranks of the NDB.”

 

 

 

\--

 

 

 

Never in his wildest dreams did Kris think that Kim Youngmin was a mutant, just like them. Mutants usually had a distinct aura which could only be detected by another of their kind, but not Youngmin. Kris had only ever thought of Youngmin as a human who was hungry for power, but as he learned, he was so very wrong.

As if reading his thoughts, Kim Youngmin barked out a harsh laugh, sending more sparks of electricity at Kris. “No, you are quite right. I  _am_  human.” He said, confusing Kris further. There was no way a normal human could hold such powers–

“Silly, silly boy.” Youngmin mocked. “Do you think that all I’ve been doing is to create a mindless mutant army for the government?”

Kris’s mind put two and two together, and he cursed. “You’ve been infusing the X-gene from different mutants into yourself?”

He could hear a collective chorus of gasps in his mind, followed by more colourful curses. Assuming that Kris’s deduction was true, Luhan and Chen’s powers weren’t the only ones he’d taken.

“See, I knew why I liked you. You’re a smart one, Kris Wu.” Youngmin had on his face a manic, feral grin as he said that, his attacks driving Kris into a corner. With Kris’s massive form and Youngmin’s relentless attacks, half of the headquarters had been reduced to rubble by then, and the leaders of the government had been sent running helter-skelter to protect their own lives.

_I’ll come to you once I get Junmyeon hyung and Baekhyun hyung out,_  Jongin said just then, and immediately the panic rose within Kris. There was no way Jongin could outrun Youngmin’s attacks in his current condition, and already Kris could feel the gradual weakening of Jongin’s aura.

_No, stay back. I can deal with him on my own._  Kris gritted his teeth and sent a fireball to meet the boulders Youngmin had pelted at him, shielding his eyes when they exploded in the middle and sent more shards of stones flying everywhere. One caught him in his arm, and Kris hissed when the cut registered in his senses.

“Are you sure you should allow yourself to get distracted now?” Kim Youngmin’s voice was suddenly much too close to his ears, and Kris jerked back automatically, swiping at the other man with his wing. He smirked satisfactorily when he managed to land a hit on Youngmin, sending the man howling in pain.

He may have infused himself with the powers from various mutants, but Kim Youngmin would never truly be one of them. It was clear from the way he was bleeding profusely from the deep gash on his arm, that he lacked the ability to heal himself.

Kris’s scaly wings flapped lazily behind him as he looked down at Youngmin. “You have messed with the wrong person, Kim Youngmin. If you think we’re going to sit down and let you trample all over us without making a sound, you’re wrong.”

Youngmin’s lips were still stretched into a manic grin when he raised his head. “Remember what I said about not letting your guard down?” He asked, and suddenly Kris found his world tipping over on its axis. He landed on his back, the wind completely knocked out of him, and as he gasped in pain, Kris looked down and found a whip of light wrapped around his ankle.

_It’s Baekhyun’s power,_  Luhan gasped, and it didn’t take long for Kris to realise why exactly Luhan had sounded so fretful. Baekhyun’s power was like Kris’s, the burn lingering long after the initial contact, and he hissed through gritted teeth when the more severe pain finally began to set in.

“So you see, Kris Wu–” Youngmin said as he pulled himself to stand. Another flash of white hot pain coursed through Kris’s nerve endings when Youngmin sent a current of electricity down the whip of light, but still Kris bit it back. He wasn’t going to give Youngmin the satisfaction of hearing him scream. “–if only you had stayed as the good pet I was banking on you to be, you wouldn’t have found yourself in this situation. It hurts, doesn’t it?”

“ _Fuck_  you.” Kris hissed in response. “We are not your slaves.”

Youngmin seemed affronted by his accusation. “But my dear boy, I never saw you as my slave. I merely wanted you to see that the strongest should be the ones to rule.” He said, strolling forward to where Kris was lying on the ground and writhing in pain with every jolt of electricity delivered through the whip. “You are so kind; so,  _so_  kind. Someone had to change that.”

“You can’t force someone to bend to your ideals.” Kris snapped, and Youngmin was ticked off enough to summon up and drive an ice pike through Kris’s thigh. This time, Kris did yell out in agony, the pain much too excruciating to bear. Kim Youngmin was combining the powers of the mutants he had in him, making his attacks more painful and deadlier by the minute.

Kris could hear the alarm from his friends, but still he forced them to stay back. They wouldn’t stand a chance against Youngmin, not in their current weakened state.

_Get all of them out of here. The building won’t stand for long,_  he told them, and when he looked up again, all he could see was Youngmin’s amused smile.

“Do you seriously think you can all get out of this unscathed?” Youngmin asked, and the panic immediately rose in Kris’s mind.

Shit. He had forgotten Youngmin had extracted Luhan’s powers for his own use.

Youngmin’s smile grew wider. “Such naivety from the likes of you. I expected more.” He mocked, and leaned forward to whisper in Kris’s ear. “Did you know that light is capable of cutting through things, if you put enough force into it?”

Kris’s pupils dilated in fear at the question, especially when he knew the whip made of light was still wrapped around his ankle. His suspicions were confirmed when he could feel the heat cutting into his flesh, causing him to suck in a deep breath to prepare himself for the worst. He couldn’t move an inch, not when the ice pike was still pinning him against the ground. There was nowhere for him to run.

The severe pain which came with losing a limb which he’d been expecting was oddly disappointing though. It felt nothing more than a simple superficial cut, but Kris only opened his eyes when he could hear the incensed roar of Kim Youngmin.

Imagine his surprise when he found himself several feet away from his original location, with Jongin by his side. The anger rose quickly within him when he realised what had happened, and he turned on Jongin instead. “I told you to leave! Why did you come back?” He hissed, even though the answer was apparent.

“Did you really think I could let you sacrifice yourself for our sake?” Jongin frowned at him, before quickly pulling Kris along with him into a dark void, narrowly missing the spray of flames from Youngmin.

“You might lose your life in your current condition! Are you stupid or _are you stupid_?” Kris snapped again, though this time, he was quick to launch a fireball in Youngmin’s direction, cussing when it narrowly missed the man. The pain was distracting him way too much, the wound in his thigh still bleeding profusely, and Kris wondered just what other powers Youngmin had leeched for his attacks to impede a mutant’s self-healing capabilities.

Jongin merely snorted at him. “The least you could do was to show some gratitude. I just saved your foot, you asshole.”

“I would be more grateful if you took better care of your own life. I did save it, after all.” Kris rolled his eyes at Jongin, but still they stuck close together, appearing and disappearing in the confined space as they dodged Youngmin’s attacks and threw more of their own. Beside him, he could hear Kai’s continuous curses of frustration when he couldn’t pin Youngmin’s shadow down long enough for Kris to get a direct hit.

Kris’s annoyance melted into worry when he noticed the trickle of blood coming out of the corner of Jongin’s mouth several minutes into the fight, though. It was obvious to him that Jongin was already nearing his limit, and while Jongin still looked determined to bring Youngmin down, Kris knew that he had to finish off this fight as soon as he could. Kris could feel himself tiring out as well, and he wondered just how on earth Youngmin was still holding on right now.

“That is the beauty of genetic engineering.” Youngmin said in response to the lingering question in Kris’s mind. “The amount of energy required to utilise these powers has been exponentially reduced to suit the human body–”

Before Youngmin could even finish bragging about his success, though, he interrupted himself with a yell of pain. Kris and Jongin exchanged confused looks for a moment, when someone else’s voice echoed in the air just then and surprised them all. “No one fucking cares, so why don’t you shut up already?”

All their gazes snapped up at the same time, and from the corner of his eyes, Kris could see the last of the ice pike melting away, staining Kim Youngmin’s shirt with diluted blood.

“Minseok? Why are you here? Aren’t you supposed to be with Xing?” Kris called out, still confused.

Minseok cracked his knuckles, looking every bit pissed. “I have a personal score to settle.” He said, and immediately jumped into action, sliding down the ice slope he’d created and hurled one ice pike after another at Youngmin.

Kris and Jongin quickly joined him as well, pushing Youngmin back with their combined attacks. Regardless of how much he had altered the energy usage to suit the human body, it was only a matter of time before Youngmin ran out of steam. His attacks were getting weaker by the second, and judging by the way the sweat was steadily rolling down the sides of his face and his troubled expressions, Kim Youngmin knew that too.

That didn’t mean his aim was off, though. Youngmin still managed to catch Kris with a jagged piece of rock, which was again imbued with a special power to impede Kris’s healing abilities, leaving another deep gash over his right arm. Kris was growing increasingly light-headed as he pushed on from the blood loss, shaking his head from time to time to keep himself focused, but he knew would definitely collapse if they didn’t end this in the next five minutes.

Losing such a large amount of blood forced Kris to keep his complete attention on Kim Youngmin and the attacks he was throwing at him, ignoring the rest of their surroundings because it took too much of an effort and energy – energy which he no longer had. He was caught off-balance when Jongin suddenly pushed him out of the way, only to find out seconds later that a large chunk of the ceiling had fallen to the ground, landing on the spot where Kris had been in.

“There’s not much of a point in killing him if you lose your life in the process,” Jongin growled disapprovingly when he reappeared next to Kris to help him to his feet. Kris only managed to smile weakly at the younger man, and quickly they rejoined Minseok who had pushed Youngmin into a corner.

“If you think I’m going to bow down this easily, think again.” Kim Youngmin hissed through clenched teeth, and sent the earth rumbling beneath their feet – Kyungsoo’s powers. Thankfully, Minseok managed to break his attention with a sharp piece of ice through the centre of both his palms, effectively pinning Youngmin against the wall before that rumble grew into an all-out earthquake.

Kris stepped forward with Jongin’s help when Minseok took a step back, trying not to wince at the excruciating pain which shot through his thigh and arm. Youngmin’s self-made concoction of powers was deadly. “There is no decent end for those who misuse the trust of mutants.”

Kim Youngmin merely laughed, the blood staining his teeth appearing grisly when it glistened beneath the dim lights. “It’s only because of your foolishness that you’ve landed yourself in this situation at all,” he said, unrepentant.

Kris found himself being incredibly disgusted by the condescension in his voice, and decided that there was nothing left to be said. He closed his eyes and summoned up a great ball of fire, turning away before he launched it at the Director of the NDB.

The last thing he heard was Kim Youngmin’s strangled cry, before Kris blacked out completely.

 

 

 

\--

 

 

 

When Kris regained his consciousness, his eyes were assaulted with such clinical whiteness that he thought he’d gone blind for a brief moment. It was probably by a miracle that his vision managed to refocus at all, and immediately his eyes went wide open at the sight which greeted him.

Jongin was asleep with his arms splayed across Kris’s legs, Luhan pressed up against him, while Yixing was on the sofa, cuddled up with Minseok. The smell of antiseptics made him realise that he was in the hospital, and when he attempted to shift a little on the bed, a sharp pain shot through his arm and leg, making him groan aloud.

He’d been too dependent on his natural healing abilities, to the point that Kris had forgotten how it really felt like to still be in pain so many hours after a massive fight.

That groan woke all of them up, though, with Jongin and Luhan looking most alarmed out of the lot. Kris could only manage a weak, tired smile at his friends, feeling too battered up to really reassure them that he was fine. He probably looked like a mess, judging from the concerned look on Luhan’s face. Luhan rarely ever showed his affections for Kris in the open, and especially not in full view of someone who was supposedly a stranger to him.

The first person Kris spoke to, though, wasn’t either of them. Instead, he turned to grin at Yixing. “I thought you said you weren’t going to save my ass even if I was about to die.”

Yixing only snorted. “I couldn’t even if I wanted to. That bastard of a Director had a nullification mutant’s genes embedded in himself. Most mutants’ powers wouldn’t have worked on him unless it’s physical.”

Kris felt his heart clench. “He got to Song Qian too, huh.”

“Probably used her and disposed what’s left of her. We couldn’t find her anywhere in the lab.” Luhan said, sounding a little sad. Song Qian had been a close friend of theirs from a long time ago.

“By the way,” Minseok started, “President Park dropped by earlier while you were still out cold. He’s reassured us that whatever Kim Youngmin had planned from before will not be carried out. We’re basically free now; he has ended the human-mutant war in Korea.”

It really felt as though an invisible weight had been lifted off him, and Kris slumped back against the pillows in relief. He had been dreaming of this day for many years now, and it was a little surreal, to be able to watch it happening.

“This is one president that I wouldn’t mind pledging my allegiance to.” Yixing commented with a grin, then began tugging Minseok along with him. “Also, I think we should probably make a move; it feels like we’re disturbing something.” He said vaguely, but Minseok seemed to have caught on quickly, because he too started walking out of the room.

To his surprise, though, Luhan patted Kris none-too-gently on his injured thigh, smiling in satisfaction when Kris groaned in pain again. “You should get your ass back into action soon, Commander Wu. It won’t do to take a long absence from work.” Luhan winked, then turned to Jongin with a disapproving look. “ _You_ , on the other hand, should stay here and make sure this dumbass doesn’t push himself too hard.”

And then Luhan was gone, leaving Jongin and Kris to stare at each other in confusion.

“I don’t know what just happened–” Jongin laughed moments later, jabbing a thumb in the direction of the door. “–but I’m really glad you’re okay.”

Kris grinned. “I remember you being all apprehensive towards me a couple of weeks ago. What, aren’t you afraid that I’ll kill you, now that I’ve gotten what I want?”

“Don’t try to be funny, Wu Yifan.” Jongin narrowed his eyes at him. “I can turn the tables on you any time, when you’re this weak.”

“Rather than turning the tables, though–” Kris tugged at Jongin’s hand, pulling him forward. “I’d rather you turn in with me. I’m exhausted.”

That startled another shy laugh out of Jongin. “Luhan will probably kill me if I do,” he mumbled, and Kris thought it was cute, how red Jongin’s face was, right up to the tips of his ears.

“You’re so dense it’s actually funny,” Kris commented, the corner of his lips quirking up into an amused smile. “Luhan walked away. Isn’t that a good enough indication of how things are at the moment?”

“Oh.” Jongin blinked. “ _Oh_. In that case–”

After all the insanity that had happened, Kris could finally rest easy, feeling oddly burden-free for the first time in a very, very long while. Things were made better when he had someone – Jongin – lying next to him, the younger man’s warmth very much welcomed. It had been years since he had been able to embrace someone like this.

Listening to Jongin’s rhythmic breaths, Kris found himself slowly drifting back to sleep, with Luhan’s warm wave of encouragement nudging him at the back of his mind.

Things were going to turn for the better – this time for real. Kris could see it.


End file.
